Tiantian Shixia Village is located in the southwest of Badaling Town, Yanqing, Beijing, at the foot of the Badaling Ancient Great Wall and the Shixiaguan Great Wall, surrounded by the Great Wall on three sides. On May 14, the villagers of this small village received a reply letter from General Secretary Xi Jinping.
"I hope that everyone will continue to work hard and work hard for a long time, protect the Great Wall like a homeland, carry forward the culture of the Great Wall, tell the story of the Great Wall, drive more people to understand the Great Wall, protect the Great Wall, and pass on this precious wealth left by our ancestors from generation to generation." In his reply, the General Secretary wrote.
In the 80s of the last century, affected by multiple factors such as historical environmental changes, natural erosion and weathering, and human production and life, many points and sections of the Great Wall of Shixiaguan were cracked and even seriously damaged. Mei Jingtian, a villager in Shixia Village, was heartbroken when he saw such a scene.
"The Great Wall is unique, and if you don't protect it, you're gone." Mei Jingtian began to patrol the ancient Great Wall around Shixia Village, protecting damaged components of the Great Wall, picking up garbage, and discouraging tourists from climbing the wild Great Wall, which lasted for more than 40 years.
"In the early years, there weren't many tourists, weeds grew wildly, and shrubs broke through the ground." At that time, in addition to farming, Mei Jingtian's most common thing to do was to inspect the ancient Great Wall, cutting weeds, thorns, and shrubs, at least 20 times a month, and breaking seven or eight pairs of shoes a year.
Mei Jingtian also had a conflict with six or seven young men because of the prohibition of private graffiti. "You can scarce the Great Wall, but don't scribble when you come." Mei Jingtian stared at the young man who was clutching his collar until the other party let go of his hand.
As he grew older, Mei Jingtian began to think about finding a successor, and he also felt that more people needed to be involved in the protection of the Great Wall. On October 29, 2007, Mei Jingtian recruited villager volunteers at the village fire prevention meeting and established the Shixia Village Great Wall Protection Association. Mei Jingtian said to everyone: "Whoever wants to participate can sign up, there is no pay, it is purely voluntary." On the same day, at a meeting of 50 or 60 people, 34 villagers registered. Mei Jingtian was very pleased.
Since then, more and more villagers have participated in it, and the Shixia Village Great Wall Protection Association has continued to grow.
Mei Jingtian told his niece Liu Hongyan the story of the Great Wall.
In 2019, in addition to volunteers who volunteered to protect the Great Wall, the village also had a "regular army". That year, the Yanqing District Cultural Relics Management Institute recruited Great Wall conservators. Influenced by his uncle Mei Jingtian, Liu Hongyan signed up for the first time, and after written tests, interviews and sports tests, he finally became one of the first six Great Wall protectors in the village.
Since then, Liu Hongyan has followed in his uncle's footsteps, walking on this rugged mountain road five times a week, rain or shine.
Growing up at the foot of the Great Wall, the villagers of Shixia Village have a deep affection for the Great Wall, and "protecting the Great Wall" has long become the consensus of the whole village.
They guarded the Great Wall and loved the Great Wall, and the Great Wall also gave Shixia Village a gift.
In recent years, Shixia Village has deeply excavated the cultural value of the Great Wall and integrated it into rural tourism. The villagers have eaten ecological rice and embarked on the road to prosperity.
Shikyo Village Guest House.
Nowadays, when you come to Shixia Village, you can hear the "Great Wall Interpretation Team" composed of the indigenous elders of Shixia Village telling the story of the Great Wall and Shixia Village; You can also experience the whole process of measuring city bricks, firing city bricks, and building city wall battlements, and feel the wisdom of the builders of the Great Wall; It is also possible to join the "offensive and defensive warfare" designed according to Li Zicheng's attack on Shixia Pass...... The well-set tourism project has launched the name of "Great Wall Culture" and enhanced the villagers' sense of belonging and honor.
The culture of the Great Wall is like the source of living water, which has led to the prosperity of Shixia Village. In 2022, Shixia Village will officially take off the "hat" of a village with a weak collective economy.
From remote mountain villages that no one cares about to the famous cultural villages of the Great Wall, the people here write wonderful stories at the foot of the Great Wall.
As the villagers of Shixia Village said in a letter to the general secretary: "The Great Wall has given us a beautiful home, and we protect it with our hearts. The Great Wall has also given us a better life, and we are full of happiness. ”
Director丨Luo Hongbing, Wei Qihu
Producer丨Wang Jingdong
Editor-in-Chief丨Li Xuan
Editor丨Meng Lizheng
Vision丨Hao Fenglin
Proofreading丨Li Dan, Lu Yang, Li Yingzhuo, Lou Hao
Produced by丨CCTV Network